Meet our CORE team
We hope you find that our team’s extensive leadership, coaching experience, and specialized expertise align with your needs. Our diverse backgrounds and deep knowledge allow us to offer a wide range of impactful workshops, creative retreats and tailored consultations.
Emily Daigle, Founder of Empowered, Ed.D., M.A. Ed., OTR/L, RYT
Emily’s career is rooted in the belief that play, authentic experiences, and meaningful connections are essential to learning and personal growth at any age. With 25+ years of experience working with children, young adults, and families, she has seamlessly blended her expertise in occupational therapy, special education, leadership, and wellness to create impactful programs and systems.
Her career began in behavioral health, supporting adolescents and adults in a residential setting before transitioning to pediatrics. After earning her Master’s in Special Education, she found her passion in curriculum development and differentiation, helping neurodivergent students access a rigorous school day while preparing for adulthood and independence. Emily began her leadership career as Dean of Students, a role that enabled her to continue counseling adolescents—an experience she still regards as one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career.
Shifting to the district level, Emily became Executive Director of Pupil Services, where she led policy and systems change initiatives. In this role, she found purpose in developing programs, collaborating with a dynamic leadership team, and driving inter-agency, wraparound efforts to support students. She was especially passionate about fostering a "village" approach, bringing together schools, families, and community partners to identify needs and create meaningful solutions.
After becoming a mom, Emily transitioned to a Supervisor role, allowing her to focus on her family while pursuing her yoga certification and earning her Doctor of Education in Education Leadership. Her doctoral research reinforced what she had long believed:
✅ When caregivers prioritize self-care, they are better equipped to support children's social-emotional development.
✅ A positive feedback loop exists between caregiver well-being and child well-being.
Now, as a consultant, she partners with families, schools, employers and community partners (nonprofit and private) —helping clients navigate educational systems and special education services, while also guiding employers in building inclusive workspaces that embrace neurodiversity and employee well-being.
Empowered was born from her dedication to families, children, and acceptance, and her belief in wellness, transformative practices, re-vamping systems to foster growth, and BIG ideas.
Emily is happiest outdoors with her family, adventuring, learning, and building community.
Education:
🎓 Doctor of Education in Education Leadership
(SEAL Program: Social, Emotional, and Academic Leadership) – Sacred Heart University
🎓 Certificate of Advanced Studies, 6th Year Administration – Sacred Heart University
🎓 Master of Arts in Comprehensive Special Education – University of Saint Joseph
🎓 Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy – University of New Hampshire
Professional Certifications & Specialized Training:
✔ Intermediate Administration and Supervision (092)
✔ Comprehensive Special Education, K-12 (165)
✔ Registered & Licensed Occupational Therapist (OTR/L)
✔ Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)
✔ Person-Centered Planning (PCP): MAPS/PATH Facilitator (State of CT Education Research Center)
💡 Empowered by play, learning, and connection—Emily is ready to support your journey!
Basia Adams, Empowered Advisor, DNP, APRN, PPCNP-BC
Basia believes that children thrive when they feel loved, safe, and cared for. With decades of experience as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, she has dedicated her career to treating children, supporting families, and leading professional development for healthcare teams. Passionate about caregiver education, Basia helps families navigate complex medical challenges, including the growing behavioral health needs of children and young adults.
In addition to her clinical expertise, Basia is a respected educator, serving as an assistant professor and clinical faculty member at institutions including Quinnipiac University School of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Drexel University, and Duke University. A proud member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she also serves on the Connecticut Children's Specialty Group Board of Directors.
Basia has been committed to keeping children well since 2001 and finds her greatest joy in spending time with her family.
Education
🎓 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – Duke University
🎓 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – University of Pennsylvania
🎓 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) – University of Connecticut
Professional Certifications & Specialized Training
✅ Registered Nurse (RN) – CT Board of Nursing
✅ Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) – CT Board of Nursing
✅ Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP)
✅ Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Lisa Helvie, M.S., CCC-SLP
Lisa is a dedicated speech-language pathologist committed to fostering communication, learning, and social-emotional growth in children. With nearly two decades of experience in public schools as an SLP from pre-k through post-high school (and all grades in between), Lisa specializes in supporting students with speech articulation challenges, language delays, pragmatic speech differences, autism spectrum disorders, fluency issues, and cognitive impairments. She designs individualized education plans (IEPs) that integrate speech and language development with classroom learning, ensuring that every child receives tailored support.
Passionate about inclusive practices, Lisa pioneered a Flexible Service Delivery model, blending traditional therapy with in-classroom collaboration to enhance generalization of skills. Her leadership extends to professional development, where she has trained educators, paraprofessionals, and families on best practices in speech-language intervention and social-emotional learning (SEL). She played a key role in implementing Social Thinking® programs across all grade levels and developing district-wide SEL curricula.
Lisa holds multiple advanced degrees in communication sciences, deaf education, and educational leadership, equipping her with a comprehensive approach to student success. An award-winning professional, she is known for her collaborative spirit, creative lesson planning, and unwavering advocacy for children with diverse learning needs.
Andrea Hernandez, M.S. Ed., M.S. CCC-SLP
With 19 years in education and 11 years as a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in Connecticut’s public school system, Andrea brings a deep understanding of both classroom instruction and speech-language development.
She began her career as an elementary bilingual Spanish/English teacher in NYC through the NYC Teaching Fellows while earning her Master’s in Education. In 2011, she returned to Connecticut to pursue a Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology, where she found her passion for assessing and supporting bilingual learners.
Andrea has a broad range of experience in speech-language pathology and specializes in:
✅ Differentiating bilingual language differences from disorders, ensuring diagnostic evaluations are comprehensive, unbiased, and respectful of second language development.
✅ Dyslexia evaluations, articulation therapy, phonological speech sound disorders, receptive and expressive language therapy, fluency, and supporting neurodivergent learners.
💡 Her superpower? Asking the right diagnostic and targeted questions that lead to better programming for students during PPTs. She firmly believes that there is no better advocate for a child than an educated parent.
Education
🎓 Master of Science in Communication Disorders- Southern Connecticut State University
🎓 Master of Science in Education- Mercy College
🎓 Bachelor of Arts – International Relations and Economics
Pam Harrison, Educational Psychologist
Coming soon Pam's bio!
Kristyn Latorre, M.S., BCBA
Kristyn is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over a decade of experience supporting children and their families. Since 2013, she has dedicated her career to empowering neurodivergent learners and fostering meaningful growth through evidence-based strategies.
She earned her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York. Her early career was spent in center-based programs and community outreach, where she worked closely with children with autism and other developmental disabilities, providing individualized interventions in homes, schools, and community settings.
Now working in the public school system, Kristyn finds deep fulfillment in cross-disciplinary collaboration, partnering with educators and specialists to design effective, student-centered strategies. Her passion lies in helping school teams implement sustainable supports that promote long-term success for every learner.
Allison LePage, BCBA
Coming soon Allison's bio and photo!
Melissa Perry, MSW
Coming soon Melissa's bio and photo!
Real Parents. Real Stories. Real Support.
Parent Panelists: The Heart of Empowered
Our Parent Panelists are core members of the Empowered Team. Their lived experiences raising children bring authenticity, wisdom, and relatability to everything we do. You’ll often find them sharing their stories, insights, and hard-earned lessons as part of our workshops and retreats.
At Empowered, we believe in learning from each other—celebrating the wins, laughing at the cringeworthy parenting moments, and growing together as a community. Parenthood is a journey, and the best parents are lifelong learners. While the path may change, we have the power to adapt, evolve, and thrive—together.
Erin McCormick
Erin McCormick is a devoted and loving mother of a child diagnosed with multiple disabilities, a role that has changed her perspective on life, parenting and advocacy. When her daughter was first born there was much uncertainty about her daughter’s life expectancy and her cognitive and developmental needs. Her days became filled with medical and therapy appointments and she placed her faith in the experts in their respective fields. It was not until her daughter was given a misdiagnosis that her perspective shifted. She came to the belief that her and her daughter’s father were the true experts of their daughter and vowed to always listen to her instincts. Today Erin is a strong advocate for her daughter leading with compassion, dedication and integrity. She is a skilled negotiator working hard to avoid bureaucratic obstacles and promote collaboration to ensure her daughter’s needs are met in educational and social settings.
Erin is also passionate about supporting families who have special needs children. She is always happy to share her own personal experiences of navigating education and health care systems and provides the strategies that helped her along the way. She is a compassionate listener, often a cheerleader of victories and empathetic when obstacles occur. Erin instills in families that they are not alone on this journey and she is there to support them. Erin is also dedicated to raising awareness of disabilities and ensuring that all children have access to an inclusive and supportive environment.
Kirsten Ferguson M.A. Ed.
As a single mom raising two young daughters with severe disabilities, Kirsten struggled to maintain her teaching career while balancing the needs of her own children. Meeting with teachers, working with therapists, and navigating appointments with many different doctors—all while advocating to get her girls the support they needed—was, at times, overwhelming.
Inspired by the amazing teachers and therapists working with her daughters, she decided to go back to school for a master’s degree in special education, specializing in early childhood development. When her daughters were five and eight years old, Kirsten partnered with a software engineer, and together they developed a communication app for the iPad. Originally designed specifically to give Autumn and Ava a voice, So Much 2 Say was eventually released on the App Store.
Kirsten remarried in 2010 (to the handsome software engineer), and they have since welcomed two more children into their family. Although Autumn and Ava are now adults, Kirsten continues to work tirelessly to ensure they receive the services and support they need to live fulfilling lives.
With over 20 years of experience navigating early intervention services, school systems, hospital systems, and government agencies, Kirsten has learned the value of providing caregivers with a broad social network, effective resources, respite, and opportunities for self-care. She also recognizes the need to engage and support siblings and other family members of individuals with disabilities, whose needs are often unmet due to the demands of caring for a family member with significant disabilities.
Kirsten is proud to have partnered with Emily Daigle and the Empowered team, sharing this vision of supporting individuals with disabilities by empowering their caregivers.